Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the process by which petroleum Exploration and development licenses will be granted; and whether existing license holders will require new licences to participate in fracking when the moratorium on that process ends.

Onshore gas licensing is a matter for the North Sea Transition Authority, which currently has an explanation of the process on its website. Developers already holding licences for shale gas extraction will not require new licences. However, development activities will need to meet rigorous safety and environmental standards set by regulators including the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive, and the North Sea Transition Authority.